HARRISBURG —Sen. Judy Ward (R-Blair/Cumberland/Franklin/Fulton/Huntingdon) and Rep. Jim Gregory (R-Blair) today praised Tyrone Hospital in Blair County for agreeing to participate in the Pennsylvania Rural Health Model.
The newly created Rural Health Model, which is the first of its kind in the country, aims to help ensure that rural hospitals stay open and continue providing access to health care and jobs.
Tyrone Hospital is in the second wave of participants in the program.
“It is such good news that Tyrone Hospital was chosen to be part of the Rural Health Model. This program is really a lifeline effort for the long-term health of crucial medical facilities in our area and similar areas of our state. Addressing the problems facing rural hospitals and health care facilities is a matter of urgency because if these facilities close, there are no other options for medical care in rural areas,” Ward said.
“Tyrone Hospital is an important part of Blair County in both the services it provides and the jobs it sustains. I’m glad it is participating in this program to help it be financially viable,” Gregory said.
The newly established program is an alternative payment model that involves multiple payers, including private and public insurers. It moves away from a fee-for-service model.